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First Drive: 2014 Infiniti Q50 in UAE
Car Reviews

First Drive: 2014 Infiniti Q50 in UAE

·
April 15,2014
·
7 min read

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So we went on our first drive of the reborn Infiniti Q50 (formerly the G Sedan). We got an opportunity to test both the Q50 Premium and Q50 Sport 3.7 liter engine as well as the all new 3.5 liter Direct Response Hybrid full options model. Unlike other drives, we also got some track experience this time, mainly to test some of the new technologies deployed. Here is the lowdown:

Style

If you thought the G Sedan looked sporty, the new Q50 adds more muscle. The roofline is lower, the stance is wider and the sides are well defined. Unlike the recently reviewed 2015 Hyundai Genesis, this is well sculpted from the rear as well, not just the front! Embracing it's rear wheel performance based identity, the style is a definite improvement over the previous generation. There are two sub styles to choose from. The first is the base model Infiniti Q50 Premium (pictured in white below) with 17 inch alloy wheels, 0.26 drag coefficient and somewhat higher ground clearance. Good, but not my preferred choice. 

And then there is the Q50 Sport and Q50 Hybrid with 19 inch alloys, runflat tires, lower ground clearance and a drag coefficient of 2.75. THAT'S more like it! The lower ground clearance does create scratch opportunities if you get in gravel zone, but heck it looks much better.

Interior Material and Finishing

No complaints in this department. All trims come with leather seats, soft touch material all round, wood trim on center console and doors. The Sports model also offers black leather interior. In addition, the center console and doors come with a unique aluminum trim called Kacchu which apparently is the material used by the Japanese Samurai warriors back in time. Neat. The interior is decidedly inclined more towards luxury than sporty looks. It's not as sporty from inside as, say the Lexus IS 350 we reviewed last year. Yet it seems the right decision, it looks in line with it's core purpose.

Interior Space and Visibility

Not bad. There is adequate legroom in front and back, although the coupe like design does have some inherent drawbacks, like limited rear visibility and limited head room, especially for the middle passenger in the back. Boot space, although quoted at 500 liters seems to be limited due to lower height. Not the most spacious but enough for the most part. 

Interior Technology and Options

Infiniti Q50 comes with it's own Drive Mode Selector which allows the driver to basically adjust the steering feel while driving. It's not the same level of drive personalisation as seen in our last Audi review of RS4 Avant, but it's a step above mainstream rivals like Lexus. It's multimedia package includes dual touchscreens. The top navigation screen is 7 inches while the below multimedia screen is 8 inches. The Infiniti InTouch system allows for smart phone and social media connectivity where your newsfeed and messages can be read to you by the onboard voice recognition system. The navigation can be adjusted with zoom in and zoom out with fingers similar to the way it's done in smartphones so it's quite intuitive. Power seats come with seat memory options. All internal settings done by the driver can be saved in an Intelligent Key. The Q50 offers two Intelligent Keys so that two drivers can set their own preferences and use the keys to activate them. The sound system is my main gripe here as it offers only 6 standard speakers. It's possible to upgrade to a Bose 14 speaker option but the standard offering could be better. Most luxury sedans of this level would offer a more premium sound system as standard. Another minor grunt is that the rear has A/C vents and not actual controls. 

Interior Safety Features

Infiniti claims this is the first car in the world to have autonomous braking that starts at 60 km / h (the global standard is 40 km / h). In addition, it is the first car in the world to go one step further in forward collision prevention. It not only detects the car in front of you, it also detects the car ahead of it. So it sends out a warning much earlier than normal and starts the braking process earlier too, making it very safe indeed. There are 6 airbags, plus adaptive cruise control. Parking aids include front and rear parking sensors, all around view monitor and rear camera. The lane control technology keeps the car in the middle of two lanes while cruising on highways with a self adjusting steering. 

Drive Experience

Power and Acceleration

The most interesting development in this launch has been the Direct Response Hybrid which is Infiniti's first foray in the world of hybrid sedans for the Middle East. The 3.5 Hybrid combines a V6 petrol engine and an electric motor to generate 350 horses and 536 Nm torque. Not too shabby. Infiniti claims a 0-100 acceleration of the Hybrid top range model at 5.1 seconds. Our brief test on the track on a hot afternoon showed a 7.0 second acceleration. The 3.7 petrol only Infiniti Q50 Premium and Q50 Sport generate 320 HP and 361 NM torque. In our drives, maximum torque reached at about 5,000 RPM. The acceleration is coupled with a nice clean rev sound as well. 

Handling and Suspension

With digital 'by wire' steering technology used mostly in aviation, I was concerned that the entire steering pleasure associated with road feedback and control will be ruined by the 'auto pilot'. However I was pleasantly suprised to observe that while road feedback actually improved with the new steering technology, some of the negative feedback such as steering vibration was completely eliminated. So in our track experience, we were able to steer hard corners and actually get credible feedback with road grip. The handling is very good and definitely comparable to German rivals. The Q50 comes with Active Trace Control which makes hard corners easier to negotiate. The suspension is balanced, not too sporty, not too soft. There are no independent suspension settings as found in our aforementioned Audi RS4 Avant personalization option, something we recommend should be included in the next upgrade of this model. However it is possible to install a sport suspension as an optional add on.

Driving Aids

The lane control mechanism allowed us to actually keep our hands off the steering wheel on highways as the car self adjusted to keep within the lane. The adaptive cruise control and preventive forward collision kept us at safe distance from cars in front so it almost felt like a semi autonomous experience. This basically means Dubai - Abu Dhabi trips will be quite relaxing. Be warned however, the aids are meant to be an ASSIST system only, not a complete takeover. In some cases, like when there are multiple lines on the road, the system may not work perfectly. Also the driving aids are meant to work on speeds above 70 km / h so don't expect them to work on turns or urban settings. Ironically, while the aids are meant to eliminate the "Idiot Factor", some idiots might choose to over rely on these aids and risk accidents.  

Verdict

Pricing starts at 165,500 AED from Arabian Automobiles Dubai (check GCC country prices in our Infiniti Car Buyer Guide). The price includes 1 year free insurance, 2 year service contract and 5 year warranty. The package seems quite competitive compared to the German rivals which don't offer half as many options as the Q50. They should feel concerned as the Q50 is stylish, fast and loaded. The technological initiatives on this model, especially the Preventive Forward Collision Alert and Direct Adaptive Steering make it worth a serious look. 

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